Youth Climate Lawsuits Inspire, Underscore Need for Urgent Action
(We're looking at you, local government leaders)
Note: Kim also wrote about this recently on LinkedIn. Connect with her there and with KLA!
“Eighteen young people represented by Our Children’s Trust and Public Justice filed a motion for stay in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asking the court to pause the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Repeal Rule, which rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding and eliminated all greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles, while their constitutional petition is litigated on the merits.”
These youth are why we do what we do. They inspire us. They remind us what we’re fighting for.
Eighteen young Americans -- students, Tribal and Native youth who come from rural and coastal communities across 10 states -- have taken this extraordinary legal action because they don’t really have a choice. Their futures (and ours, btw) are at stake.
They are speaking up at a time when it can be risky to do so, when the political winds can be hostile, and the institutions meant to protect them are being dismantled.
That’s not just bravery. That’s necessity.
Climate change is not a distant or abstract threat for these young people. It has literally been a part of every day of their lives. For those of us born in the 1900s, let that sink in. These kids have no memory of a stable climate on this planet. If the EPA abdicates its responsibility to act, the long-term prospects for this generation are genuinely bleak.
This is not a political issue or an environmental issue. It’s a human issue. We must step up to protect where we live and what we love.
What KLA is Doing
The unusual and courageous step these youth are taking by going to court underscores just how urgent the climate crisis has become. The administration is making decisions that fly in the face of science and public opinion, and this generation will bear the consequences.
These are not normal times. We can’t just rely on the same playbook or half-measures. The days of checking boxes, patting ourselves on the back for a plan and celebrating outputs are over.
At KLA we’ve been taking concrete steps to enhance our processes and services to ensure we stay laser focused on measurable emissions reductions. The deadly and costly impacts of climate change demand it. And the accelerating rollback of federal climate action requires it.
(If you’re work with a local government or community organization, we encourage you to check out ActionReady™ as the fastest path for cities and counties to reach climate goals and actually move the emissions needle)
Our Children’s Trust, which filed for the stay along with Public Justice, has inspired more than 60 youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide and secured a landmark victory in Montana. That was the first time a US court declared that a government has a constitutional responsibility to protect people from climate change. (Inside Climate News)
These youth are not waiting for permission. They aren’t sticking to the same playbook. Neither can we.
We all have to find a way to show up. Whether it’s through the work we do professionally, the conversations we have with neighbors, the commitments we make publicly, the big changes we embrace in our daily lives, or simply amplifying the voices of these young plaintiffs. Silence is no longer an option.
We stand with these youth as they use their voices and lived experiences to fight for their survival. And we are committed to doing our part to ensure they have a future worth fighting for. We urge every one of you to do the same.